Dombawalage Jayasiri Fernando v. Hon. Attorney General and Officer in Charge – CA HCC 163/2018-2023

In the case between Dombawalage Jayasiri Fernando (Appellant) and the Hon. Attorney General and Officer in Charge, Police Station, Muldalama (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of the appropriateness of a sentence imposed following a conviction for statutory rape under the Penal Code. The court held that, although the conviction itself was uncontested, the sentence should be reduced from 15 years to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, with corresponding reductions to the secondary default sentences, while maintaining the original fine and compensation. This reaffirmed the sentencing principle that judicial discretion must account for time already served and the proportionality of punishment. The decision relied upon statutory sentencing provisions within the Penal Code and consider